Tell us about your mistakes.

[plonker]

crap. posting twice in a week in this thread.

I'm CERTAIN that someone said recently that if you dissolve baking soda in water first, it won't foam so much when added to the wash. it may have been an illusion though, as I can't find it now.

Anyway, safe in the knowledge that it wouldn't foam, I tipped a large amount of sugar and baking soda in water into one of my fermenters, and Mount Vesuvius erupts and sugar foam goes EVERYWHERE, all over the insulation (and electric blanket!) for the fermenters, all over the floor, down the back of the bench and along all the hard to reach places, the windows....

I have spent all morning cleaning it up.

I will not make that mistake again.

Just tried something similar myself. Mix baking soda with water and stir...

Sure its done... pour into pot and add molasses for next rum ferment. Molasses and baking soda takes off and foams everywhere..

Next time I will add the baking soda to the backwash..

Molasses does NOT like bicarb of soda..

[coppercreature]

You may have seen those "corkscrews" that use compressed air and a needle to force the cork out of a bottle, right? Well, one day, I accidentally pushed a one-hole stopper through the neck of an empty 6 gallon glass carboy (it was flush with the bottle and I was trying to dig it out with a pencil.) In any case, I first tried the folded cloth napkin trick to try and pull the stopper out - but I always sucked at that trick and couldn't do it. So then I got the bright idea of using a little shot of air from my air compressor to force the stopper out. I wet down the neck of the carboy, lined up the stopper, and gave a couple little toots of air. It seemed to work and the stopper was about half way down the neck and not moving very much. So I went ahead and gave another shot of air, perhaps a little longer this time.

And now we get to the predictable result - the carboy exploded, sending glass shards everywhere. Sounded like a freakin bomb went off. A piece was embedded in the bottom of my workbench, and another piece went through a double-paned window, through a screen, and into the side yard. Obviously, with force like that, I didn't exactly escape unscathed. Managed to get a slice and a stab wound in my left arm, with 8 stitches in each. A big piece hit my glasses, which probably saved my eye, and bent them at a 90 deg. angle. Only ended up with a few little cuts and perforations in the left side of my head and over my eye.

I think the best part of that evening was when I got out of the hospital, I had to get a cab home. The cabby didn't know where he was going, so I had him drop me off at a local 7-11and I'd walk from there. Since it was about 11PM on a Friday night, all the neighborhood kids were hanging out in front of the 7-11, and here I come, covered in dried blood and bandages, my shirtsleeve cut off, looking like I just murdered someone. Figured I could use a nightcap (was out of spirits ), so I went in and bought a couple of tallboys - this earned some odd looks, but it was worth it!

Anyway, the moral of the story is: compressed air and carboys don't mix! Now where do I go to pick up that Darwin award?

[kiwistiller]

Anyway, the moral of the story is: compressed air and carboys don't mix!

My mistakes suddenly seem, much, much smaller

[alkoholics]

Well Here is my first horror story, its Halloween morning 2009 just finish distilling some 95% the night before so i wake up early halloween morning and desided to have a few mixed drinks well a few mixed drinks turned into 750ml of 95%, i told myself i wanted a halloween to remember, so i went over to my neahbors house to have a few drinks and play with the dogs in the backyard well its been raining here lots and the yard was wet as hell and full of mud me being wasted desided to try and slide on my barefeet in the mud and low and behold i slipped and BROKE my fibula and tibia LOLOLOLOLOL man good time good times 4 days in the hospital 36hours no food while there waiting for surgery ended up with a titanium rod through the lenght of my leg and a few screws and 30 staples.

Lesson of the story is DONT DRINK THAT MUCH EVEN IF YOU DONT FEEL THAT DRUNK, YOU PROBABLY ARE.
lol i forgot to add i did some roofing on my house about an hour before i broke my leg, im sure glad i didn't fall off the roof.

Hope yall enjoy my pain loloololol

[coppercreature]

good times 4 days in the hospital 36hours no food while there waiting for surgery ended up with a titanium rod through the lenght of my leg and a few screws and 30 staples.

And, suddenly, my mistakes seem much, much smaller.
Hope they gave you some good pain meds (don't mix them with too much shine!) and hope you heal OK.

[Captain Morgan]

I used rainwater from my new tank in the backyard for fermenting and cutting spirits. I figured it'd be the cleanest, purest water i had access to.

About two months into my rum ageing i noticed strands of algae coming off a bottle i was about to give a friend, so i went and checked the aging flagons with oak sticks in em, and sure enough, two inch long strands of seaweed.

We'd been drinking it for over a month.....

I still use the tank water for my ferments, but never cut with anything but boiled town water anymore. I never woulda thought that green algae could grow in 65% alchohol, but there ya go...tougher than you think.



The upside is that my rum wasn't much good, too much mandarin taste and possibly poor cuts, once i put it back in and redistilled it all, did my cuts, aged it for a few weeks, it's turned out a far superior product.
I had put rum on the backburner for a while because of the quality, but now i'll putting some down as soon as i have a spare fermenter, and double distilling.

Punkin,

Think yourself lucky! Years ago, friends of the family thought their tank water tasted funny. They used this tank water for absolutely everything Eventually they investigated and found a very decomposed possum in there. I would wanna die!!!

[scarecrow]

a very decomposed possum in there. I would wanna die!!!

Man up a bit. We used to get goannas in our tank water. Been there so long their legs would be on the other side of the tank. Got sick of gettin' the gaf to drag 'em out. Added a touch of "sweetness" to the morning cuppa.

scarecrow

[Dnderhead]

we used to keep a fish it the spring, if he died dont drink the water.

[still crazy]

we used to keep a fish it the spring, if he died dont drink the water.

First off let me tell ya a cute one I work in construction and had a job at a "famous" spring water company. I got to into the well room where the spring water came out of the gound and I thought I saw something moving in the water. Sure nuff it was a frog. Guy who worked there said they always do a frog check for purity. Guess its like a canary in a coal mine.

Well as I read threw these posts I said way to many times, done that and that and ..... you getthe idea.
So to add to the list. My mistake was that I started to soilder up a couple of pieces of 1"copper and an acrid smoke was coming from the pipe looked inside puzzled and from the remains I was reminded that I had hid a little "rainy day fund" in the pipe. Became the $100 dollar joint.

Worse part was my wife knew I had it so when she said, lets go out you got some money put away don't you, I had to explain.

[Nightforce]

Well, my turn to post in this thread. :'(

Don't cook with a head cold. I was cooking an all corn mash, 12# corn in 8 gallons of water (actually 6 gallon water and 2 gallons of backset from a corn/barley run) and my wife kept saying she smelled something burning...I couldn't smell it and the pot didn't seem to be showing signs of burning. Well, she came out to the garage and said "something is really burning". I turned and looked and saw a lot of smoke in the garage...billowing from the pot I was using. I couldn't smell a damn thing!

I guess I've scorched the corn mash and from what I've read that flavor will carry over into the distillate. Is this true?

If so, I guess I'll just finish out the conversion and run it through the bok column to make some fuel/cleaner.

[Dnderhead]

right cant be used,,you did not say ,, but sounds like you did one of the biggest NO NOs by leaving it unattended.

[The Baker]

crap. posting twice in a week in this thread.

I'm CERTAIN that someone said recently that if you dissolve baking soda in water first, it won't foam so much when added to the wash. it may have been an illusion though, as I can't find it now.

Anyway, safe in the knowledge that it wouldn't foam, I tipped a large amount of sugar and baking soda in water into one of my fermenters, and Mount Vesuvius erupts and sugar foam goes EVERYWHERE, all over the insulation (and electric blanket!) for the fermenters, all over the floor, down the back of the bench and along all the hard to reach places, the windows....

I have spent all morning cleaning it up.

I will not make that mistake again.

Just tried something similar myself. Mix baking soda with water and stir...

Sure its done... pour into pot and add molasses for next rum ferment. Molasses and baking soda takes off and foams everywhere..

Next time I will add the baking soda to the backwash..

Molasses does NOT like bicarb of soda..

Have you ever eaten the nice crunchy confectionery called 'honeycomb?'

Used to be able to buy it in the shops here as 'Hoadley's Violet Crumble', and people (me too) made it at home too.

It's made of golden syrup (sort of a very light molasses, for those who mightn't be familiar with it), and guess what? Bicarbonate of soda, to make it froth up!

[ozone39]

Invited my ex-girlfriend over for a distilling party...need I say more..

[ScottishBoy]

One can only hope that this was the "good " kind of trouble...

Otherwise...

[scotty]

my latest was starting a wash in Late january and not compensating for the cooler house temperatures at night. i finally put a brew belt on it. For such situations,i have a heating pad also. I just didnt use my noodle.

[anuran]

Bought 2" copper pipe from a metal supplier and 2" fittings from a plumbing supply shop.
In the metals industry 2" means 2" O.D.
In the plumbing world 2" means 2" I.D. and 2 1/8" OD

[kiwistiller]

I've just realised that there should be 10 litres of Neutral strip somewhere in my shed, and there isn't. most likely explaination: I tipped it into the wrong keg for storage, and it was tossed out with some dunder. grrrr

[blanikdog]

Doesn't that shit ya!!

[kiwistiller]

yeah it really, really does. I've got to get some more fermenters on so the mistakes don't hurt so bad.

[Mr.Spooky]

just found a quart of rum that i hid from myself, but dident lable it. i wander what it is???

[Johnathan]

I made a still 30 years ago when my kids were small. This site (and the Internet) did not exist. There was NO technical information on safety or construction available. I was winging it and making it up as I went along. I used builders silicon rubber to seal the lid of the electric boiler lid. I also user rubber hose to connect the boiler to the liebig condenser. You simply would not believe how bad the output tasted. It was so bad that it put me off for 30 years. I have now built an all-copper/brass pot-still and have almost finished a VM 76mm reflux column. Lovely output!! I regret all those years wasted by using a piece of rubber hose and a squirt of silicon sealant. Just another dog-turd on the footpath of life I guess.

[olddog]

I have now built an all-copper/brass pot-still

I hope you de-leaded the brass.


OD

[Husker]

Had a gallon of molasses, in a jug (like the antifreeze type jugs, but thinner. It got a crack in it, and I put I duct taped it, and put it on a plate. I was going to use it later. Well, I forgot about it, some stuff was piled up 'hiding' it. That was about a year ago. Well, I (and MrsHusker) were cleaning that room out, as we are going to turn it into a pantry, and low and behold, 1 gallon of blackstrap soaked into the carpet, and even into the bottom of a shelving unit. We did not think we were going to replace carpet when starting this room switch over, but oh well, looks like it now.

Lost a few more honey do points again. I can never seem to keep those in the positive level any more.

H.

[still crazy]

......you know your a redneck if you have ever duct taped a molasses container

[yepyep45]

I have failed to check the distillation setup for leaks before charging in precious product. Charred everything before realizing the system does not hold vacuum.

[WalkingWolf]

Charred everything before realizing the system does not hold vacuum.

An interesting statement. Would you care to describe your setup?

[eamesz]

Oke, I have to be frank about my mistake because everybody is.

I had a 7.5 litre glass bowl/sphere in a laboratory heater (electric, spherical) and the sphere had 3 exits. 2 exits I closed with a glass endcap, the middle one was used to connect the glass column of 1.2 meter height. Inside about 12 stainless sponges. At the top a bended glass pipe with a condensor attached.

I was heating the bowl containing fermented sugar water (17% alcohol) and nothing happened?????

So I thought maybe I have to insert some boilingstones to get an even boiling. So I removed one of the endcaps of the sphere (stupid), I added the stones (more stupid) and then I plugged the endcap again........

Result: just after I plugged the endcap the mixture starts to a violent boiling, huge amounts of gass start shooting up the column and then the column lifted up like only the people at NASA have ever seen.

Result: some burned flesh, the glass column went about 20 feet in the air, came back and shattered on the glass roof of the veranda, 2 glass plates got shattered (EUR 750 without installing) and the whole neighbourhood knew I was expertimenting again (have I told about the story of me with 1 spoon of phosporus, 1 spoon of potassiumperchlorate and a wooden pencil to stir...........)

It was in my early days during my study of process engineering and I, as every 17 years old, didn't have any clue of dangerous things.

So after those 'fine' situations I'm really taking all precousions I can do and had no any problem ever after (despite a burned ear as I was touching a new glass column while reading the temperature of the distillate....)

So, if any of you want to see a flying column: now you know how to make one yourself!

Erwin

[Moorea]

I had a pump connected to my fermenters, since they are 100 liters, moving them are something not intelligent.
This weekend i pumped the last 20 liters of a mash to start a new run and while i was looking for a beer a friend of mine acidentaly turned the pump on again, pumping almost 10 liters of yeast and sediments (it was a corn starch+ cocoa powder mash, so i have lots of solids and sediments). the shit head did not tell me he turned the pump on and i started the fire.
Some 30 minutes later i noticed something was smelling bad, maybe burning, but since i run on vacuum i can not smell the final product until i got it ended.
I have a 75ml collecting bottle thats used for heads, when it started dripping i noticed it was a little cloudy, i wait a little more to see what happens and since i got no change in situation i turned the fire off and release vacuum, it was a very, very bad tasting shit, weighting 700 g/l
A terrible smell of burned bones ewas all around and when i tried to empty my boiler i noticed it was clogged, full of pellets of burnt starch/cocoa powder, i filled the boiler with 50/50 mix vinegar /water and will let it rest for one or two days to see what happens and bought a pair of hadcuffs to use next time some friend shows around when i´m distilling...
Do you believe that the mix vinegar/water will clean the burnt starch and cocoa ?
Any more agressive suggestions on cleaning the boiler ?


My regards

Moorea, from Ilhabela - Brazil

[duracell]

Do you believe that the mix vinegar/water will clean the burnt starch and cocoa ?
Any more agressive suggestions on cleaning the boiler ?


My regards

Moorea, from Ilhabela - Brazil

Try oxiclean, also known as sodium percarbonate, or powdered brewery wash (PBW). Mix it as per the directions and let it soak for a day, it is amazing stuff.

[bgrizzle]

So I go to make me some strawberry panty dropper for the first time. I had a bunch of strawberries that were just about to go bad. Grabbed a feints jar by accident, and not my neutral jar!!! I ended up dumping out... oh well... we all make mistakes!